You're going to love these! Zucchini gets transformed into healthy, crispy, golden brown baked zucchini fries with a 3-ingredient pesto yogurt dipping sauce.
I knew I hit the jackpot when my self-described zucchini-hating son sat in front of a plate of these baked zucchini fries and plowed through half of them in one sitting.
"Are you sure this is zucchini?" he asked for the fifth time, looking at me suspiciously as though I was trying to pull some sort of Harry Potter-magic spell wool over his eyes.
Fried foods don't show up on our plates very often, though air fryer recipes have been a fun new way to serve up traditionally-fried foods.
While these zucchini fries could easily made in the air fryer, I achieved fantastic results from baked them in the oven.
And the pesto yogurt dip? They take these crispy zucchini sticks to a whole new level. You'll want to dip and dip…and dip some more.
Tips for making baked zucchini fries:
This recipe really couldn't be any easier. One medium zucchini produces several servings of fries, and the 3-ingredient pesto yogurt dipping sauce takes them from really good to insanely irresistible.
The trick to the crispy, golden brown texture on the outside of the fries is cooking them in a HOT oven and using panko bread crumbs , which lend much more crunch than standard bread crumbs.
Line a baking sheet with foil (easy clean-up trick!) and place a wire rack on top of the foil. The rack is a key component in ensuring that the fries are crispy on all sides - not soggy on the bottom. The rack allows allow the air/heat to circulate around the fries.
Your dredging station is made up of three bowls - one for the flour, one for the whisked egg and one for the seasoned breadcrumbs. I typically use one hand for the flour and the other hand (or a pair of small tongs) for the egg dip and breadcrumbs. This will help to keep the flour dry.
Serve the zucchini fries immediately - hot and crispy!
What if I can't find whole wheat panko?
If you have neither whole wheat panko bread crumbs (affiliate link) nor whole wheat pastry flour on hand, don't let that stop you from making these.
Regular panko bread crumbs and all-purpose flour will still produce healthier zucchini fries (hey, they're still not fried, right?), and great flavor and texture.
What to serve with zucchini fries:
As an appetizer with...
- 5-Minute Black Bean Dip
- Mini Avocado & Hummus Quesadillas
- 3-Ingredient Brie & Cranberry Phyllo Turnovers
As a side dish with...
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Baked Zucchini Fries with Pesto Yogurt Dipping Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 medium zucchini
- ⅔ cup whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup whole wheat panko breadcrumbs
- ¾ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- olive oil cooking spray
The sauce::
- ½ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoons basil pesto
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
The Fries:
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with foil and set a cooling rack on top of the baking sheet. Coat the cooling rack with cooking spray.
- Cut the zucchini into 3-inch long and ¼-inch thick pieces.
- Spoon the flour into a medium bowl. Whisk the egg in a separate bowl. In a third bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, paprika, salt and pepper.
- Working with several zucchini pieces at a time, dredge the zucchini in the flour, shaking off the excess. Dip the zucchini in the egg, then place it in the bread crumb mixture, covering completely.
- Transfer the coated zucchini pieces to the prepared rack, in a single layer. Repeat with remaining zucchini pieces.
- Light coat the zucchini with the cooking spray.
- Bake in the oven until the zucchini is tender and the breading is browned and crisp, about 15 minutes.
- Serve immediately with the dipping sauce.
The Sauce:
- In a small bowl, stir together the yogurt, pesto sand salt.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted on July 6, 2015, and was updated on July 30, 2020.
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Lori Wegehaupt
Love it! So good! Thank you for your healthy influence!
Allen
Your recipe looks so delicious!! Just thought you’d like to know I used it in a zucchini round-up posted today!
carenician
What a great combination! The pesto yogurt sauce sounds like the perfect accompaniment to the zucchini fries.
Kara
These do look nice but - one portion is only four fries? Is that a typo?
Otherwise I'd feel pretty cheated if I made these and could only eat four for 112 calories! That's a lot of calories for not much food, especially considering in the write up you say they are so healthy that it's okay for your son to plow through half a plateful. Kind of misleading...
Dara
Kara, the 112 calories includes a tablespoon of the sauce. If you choose not to dip the fries in the sauce, the calorie count will be less. When you compare with French fries that are actually fried, the calories are far less in this recipe. Also, I would also urge you to look at the saturated fat, fiber and protein counts in these baked fries vs. regular French fries. "Healthy" is not always just about the calories. I hope you have a chance to try them.
Andrea F
These are yummy! I stumbled across the recipe on Pinterest and made them for a family barbecue! They went down a treat!
krin
'Hi
I made this over the weekend at a family braai and everyone loved it. Made an entire oven tray fill and it got wiped out. I added some Parmesan to the crumb mix. The chips were crispy and totally yummy. Even the Kids all loved it. My hubby who hates zucchini even said I need to make it again. Thanks
Kelly
Now I know what to do with the zucchini I get from my CSA share. Love the pesto-yogurt dipping sauce- brilliant!
Am
You recipe looks so delicious!! Just thought you'd like to know I used it in a zucchini round up posted today!